Tuesday, October 30, 2012

We Cannot Survive Without Each Other~"Oh Morning Star, Make a path for me!" This is the desperate plea from an Egyptian who died centuries ago. His name, his existence, and everyone he knew have been utterly forgotten. And yet his question remains. Is there a path through night and death? A guiding star, that leads to Redemption and Morning?

Anthropologist Joseph Campbell identified this problem in The Heroes Journey, and argued that all cultures unanimously share this fundamental concern. Quick Recap: #1 The Hero or Prince is born in the Royal court, #2 Sent on a impossible journey to obtain a treasure, #3 Given gifts to help him achieve the impossible, #4 Go, Fight, Win! #5 He returns triumphant to Heaven/Home/Olympus/Afterlife, and is given a crown and/or immortal life.

Every culture reiterates this human experience, in their paradigm story or myth: St. George and the Dragon, Isis and Osiris, Hercules and the Hydra, Adam and Eve. (Oh, Wait, someone has been tampering with our story.* At least we still have Star Wars.) The Mormon Temple also reiterates this pattern.

Hugh Nibley brings an interesting perspective to the "impossible task" of the journey. According to Nibley's research of the hypocephalus, in Egyptian belief the magical gift that helps the hero accomplish the impossible task isdefined by opposition in all things....

For the Egyptians ultimate power came through gender interaction. A concept quietly forgotten as the innocuous Hebrew word "helpmeet."

That was way oversimplified, but take a look.

Woman brings man to life in the mortal sphere, (through birth) but then she dies, so she is stuck there. Man brings woman to life in the immortal sphere (through resurrection.) Neither of them can get through the whole journey without their gender opposite.The works of our fathers, and brother, sisters and wives are the bridge
that take us from one world to the next, from life to death and to life
again.

In between those two opposite ends of mortality, there are a thousand ways our separate genders serve and redeem each other. Fixing flat tires and cooking dinner, and forgiving so often you think you are going to kill someone. That service that is so mundane, the give and take of relationships, creates a centrifugal force, if you will, that keeps "the stars aligned," so that we can literally bridge the gateways between the spheres of eternity--. from premortal to mortal to eternal. And we cannot do it without sympathy for our opposite.

All of us are walking in the dark of the Hero’s Journey. We cannot feel the strength of family members who have moved on into the next sphere without us. Our own forgetfulness, impatience, cruelty, lack of forgiveness darken the stars. Thank heavens our loved ones slow down and wait for us when we get lost. Hopefully we wait for them and for others in return. But our loved ones, and the love we bear each other, are our own best hope. Our relationships and the covenants that solemnize them are the Morning Star that guides us through the night.

Thanks to Kent Pimentel who inspired this post by asking about my painting, “Oh, Morning Star, Make a Path for Me!”

This piece and other meditations on relationships are showing through December

If you have any ideas, I'd love to hear them. Long or short, comic or passionate, (even if they don't have the word love in them.) Here is your chance to
be the artist- Just leave you quote in the comments, with the author
if possible. And I will design it into something truely awesome. (If I end up using your quote you'll win a set of MarySummerhaysvalentines.)

I'll leave you with one of my poetic favorites from Jim- "You sound like a sad mule clomping along."

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

This is the little valentine I just finished for Deseret Book's
art scholarship auction. The title is Star of Solomon. The painting
is an allusion to the ancient principle of "Eternal"- the flaming leaf (masculine) protecting
the fruit, and power of life(feminine) so that their seed can grow; the text poetically
reiterating, "I sat down under his shadow with great delight." (Songs of Solomon 2:2) It is
the favorite thing I have ever made.

It's a metaphor about the male female relationship- Man makes
woman eternal in the next sphere, but Woman makes man eternal in the
mortal sphere by giving him posterity (or "seeds that continue" like it
says in the D&C.)

In the desert world of the Mediterranean
the shade of an oasis allowed life to continue,and seeds to grow. To
"sit down in his shadow" is a poetic way of saying that they have this
relationship that makes them both eternal.

The Star of Solomon,
according to masonic tradition, was the symbol used to replace the name
of God in the Hebrew temple. Some Anthropologists make strong
suggestions that the name itself meant "posterity." So the gold star in
the veins of the red leaf is the belief in union between man and woman;
Specifically, That man of himself can not achieve posterity, and
relies on his interaction with woman to reach a divine goal of
continuance.

It is part of Deseret Books auction- check out their video- (Narrated by a charming 12 year old. The original Molly Mormon. That in and of itself is a cultural experience)

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Striking parallels to this fatal romance appear in several cultures,
from the story of the sphinx, the sirens, the mermaids, the Gorgons,
even the princess and the frog. The man is enticed into entering a
terrestrial sphere, where he achieves enlightenment,
discovers new life, and wins the power to overcome death. The Egyptian
temple reiterates
this fatal romance pattern exactly. Although western
culture
celebrates and repeats these stories, we have forgotten
their
significance—the
beguiling value of death and mortality.
$2575

*Contractually, Deseret Book does not allow me to undersell the MSRP,
I can only do this because these are my samples at the end of the season, but this price will never be seen again.
This is my best seller, and will be GONE by the end of the first day, if not sooner.

If this is your favorite image Call to reserve yours-IT WILL SELL OUT

Just a warning: Almond Blossoms is the only thing %50 off. EVERYTHING ELSE is %65-%95 off.
These are "dig coins out of the couch" prices. The good stuff will be gone by the 27th.
So come this Saturday or call me early- I can take orders over the phone. 801-787-2697